Finger guard

ABSTRACT

A finger guard includes an elongated conical member having a hollow interior, a cap disposed on top and an opening along the bottom into which the hand of a user can be inserted. The elongated conical member can be constructed from transparent material and can include a padded interior, one or more fasteners and a channel for accommodating an IV line.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a hand and finger protectiondevice, and more particularly to a device for protecting the thumb andfingers of a user while being dressed.

2. Description of the Related Art

As any parent will attest, dressing an infant can be a challengingendeavor at times. Unlike older children who have learned to close theirhands when putting on a shirt, infants and young children will oftenleave their hands open while being dressed. When this occurs, the thumband fingers of the infant will often become entangled with the clothing.In some instances, the parent may not realize that a finger or thumb hasbecome snagged and as they continue to pull the clothing across the armof the infant, an injury can occur. Such injuries often include pulledligaments, pulled tendons and/or broken bones.

To this end, one of the biggest challenges facing a parent whiledressing an infant revolves around getting the infants' hands throughthe clothing without injuring their fingers. As such, many parents willattempt to hold the infants hand while trying to gently feed it throughthe narrow arm opening of the shirt. However, due to the small size ofthe opening it is not uncommon for the parent to inadvertently stretch,tear or otherwise damage the clothing which can be expensive to replace.

Although devices have been proposed for deterring children from suckingfingers and for protecting hands against extreme temperature variation,there remains a need for a device capable of protecting the fingers andthumb of an individual while being dressed. Moreover, it is an object ofthe present invention to provide such a device that is also easy to use,and economical to manufacture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a hand and finger protection devicethat includes an elongated conical member having a hollow interior and acap disposed at a first end. The device also includes an opening alongthe bottom into which the hand of a user can be inserted. When soplaced, the device can be utilized by a caregiver to protect the fingersand thumb of a user while being dressed.

Another embodiment of the present invention can include a channel forrouting an IV line, and yet another embodiment of the present inventioncan include one or more fasteners for preventing the device fromaccidently separating from the hand of the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Presently preferred embodiments are shown in the drawings. It should beappreciated, however, that the invention is not limited to the precisearrangements and instrumentalities shown.

FIG. 1 is a frontal elevation of one embodiment of a finger guard devicethat is useful for understanding the inventive concepts disclosedherein.

FIG. 2 is a front view illustrating one embodiment of the invention inuse.

FIG. 3 is a front view illustrating an alternate embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 4 is a front view illustrating another alternate embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 5 is a front view illustrating an alternate embodiment of theinvention in use.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While the specification concludes with claims defining the features ofthe invention that are regarded as novel, it is believed that theinvention will be better understood from a consideration of thedescription in conjunction with the drawings. As required, detailedembodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, itis to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplaryof the invention, which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore,specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not tobe interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and asa representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variouslyemploy the inventive arrangements in virtually any appropriatelydetailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are notintended to be limiting but rather to provide an understandabledescription of the invention.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. Additionally, as described herein, the terms “thumb” and“finger” are intended to be interchangeable such that any reference toone may include the other. It will be further understood that the terms“comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification,specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations,elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence oraddition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations,elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

Although depicted as an aid for infants, the inventive conceptsdisclosed herein can be equally utilized by older children or adults whorequire assistance. As such, embodiments of the present invention can beutilized to aid caregivers of developmentally challenged individuals andthe infirm, for example, without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a finger guard that is useful forunderstanding the inventive concepts disclosed herein. To this end,finger guard 10 can include an elongated frustum-conical body (cone) 11having a diameter that is large at the bottom (D) and small at the top(D′) until forming a convex cap 12. The cone 11 can further include ahollow interior 13 and an opening 14 positioned at the bottom thereoffor receiving a hand.

As shown, cap 12 can be securely positioned atop cone 11 via a permanentattachment means such as an industrial grade adhesive, for example.Alternatively, cap 12 can also be formed by extending the cone 11 suchthat the cap 12 becomes a seamless element of the cone 11. Moreover, theinner wall of cone 11 can also include an optional foam pad lining or asoft rubber coating (not shown) in order to improve the comfort of theuser, each of these elements being well known to one of skill in theart.

In one preferred embodiment, cone 11 and cap 12 can be constructed froma clear lightweight and impact resistant material such as hardenedacrylic or injection molded plastic, for example, however othermaterials are also contemplated. Additionally, finger guard 10 whenconfigured for use with infants, can preferably have a dimension of 5inches in length and a diameter D of 2 inches at the bottom and adiameter D′ of 0.5 inch at the top. Of course other dimensions andshapes are also contemplated, as will be discussed below.

FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of the finger guard 10 in use. Asshown, a hand 20 can be inserted through the opening 14 and into thehollow portion 13 of the cone 11. When positioned in this manner, thethumb and fingers of the hand 20 can be protected against injuryresulting from contact with clothing 21. Moreover, the convex cap 12acts as smooth guide to allow a shirt, hospital gown, or other materialto slide easily over the finger guard (See arrow A) without snagging thefingers of the user. As such, when utilized by a parent or caregiver, itis possible to quickly and easily dress a user without causing injury.

FIG. 3 illustrates an alternate embodiment of a finger guard 30 that isessentially a larger version of the above described device and includesa transparent cone 11. Such a configuration can be utilized, forexample, in a hospital setting, and is particularly applicable topatients attached to an IV or other medical instruments. In thisembodiment, the elongated cone 11 can be constructed from a transparentmaterial, and in a dimension suitable for fully enclosing the hand 20 ofa child or adult user while leaving extra space to accommodate anintravenous line (IV) 31. Additionally, the device can further includean optional channel 32 positioned within the inside wall of theelongated cone and extending to the opening 14. To this end, channel 32can include a recessed path for providing additional space toaccommodate an IV line 31 a.

By incorporating a clear/transparent material in which the hand remainsvisible to the caregiver, it becomes possible to easily dress the userwithout causing injury to either the fingers, or the IV attached to thehand.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate an alternate embodiment of a finger guard 10that further includes a plurality of fasteners 40 for securing a handinside the guard 10. As shown in FIG. 4, several fasteners 40 can belocated along the bottom of the cone 11 just inside the opening 14.These fasteners can preferably include a soft bendable material capableof conforming to the shape of the hand when inserted. As shown in FIG.5, when a hand 20 is placed inside the cone, the fasteners 40 can applya light pressure on the hand while bending upward. In this regard, thefasteners can remain in contact with the hand at all times thuspreventing the guard 10 from inadvertently falling off. Likewise, whenthe hand is being removed, the fasteners can bend with the hand allowingit to be easily removed when adequate pressure is applied.

In one preferred embodiment, fasteners 40 can be constructed from a softbendable material such as rubber, or neoprene, for example, howeverother materials are also contemplated.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of allmeans or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended toinclude any structure, material, or act for performing the function incombination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. Thedescription of the present invention has been presented for purposes ofillustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive orlimited to the invention in the form disclosed.

Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinaryskill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of theinvention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to bestexplain the principles of the invention and the practical application,and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand theinvention for various embodiments with various modifications as aresuited to the particular use contemplated.

1. A finger guard comprising: an elongated conical member having ahollow interior and a cap disposed at a first end; an opening positionedat a second end of the conical member, said second end being opposite tosaid first end, and said opening exposing the hollow interior; whereinsaid hollow portion is configured to encompass a hand of a user and saidconical member is configured to easily glide across a cloth.
 2. Thefinger guard of claim 1, wherein said elongated conical member istransparent.
 3. The finger guard of claim 1, further comprising: achannel configured to accommodate an IV line, said channel extendingalong an inside portion of the conical member from said opening.
 4. Thefinger guard of claim 1, further comprising: a padded layer attached toan inside portion of the conical member.
 5. The finger guard of claim 4,wherein said padded layer includes one of a foam lining and a softrubber coating.
 6. The finger guard of claim 1, further comprising: oneor more fasteners positioned along an inside periphery of the opening,said fasteners being configured to removably secure the hand of the userinside the hollow portion.
 7. The finger guard of claim 6, wherein saidone or more fasteners includes a flexible element configured to bend. 8.The finger guard of claim 7, wherein said one or more fasteners includesat least one of rubber and neoprene.
 9. The finger guard of claim 1,wherein said cap is transparent.
 10. The finger guard of claim 1,wherein said cap is permanently affixed to said conical member.
 11. Thefinger guard of claim 1, wherein said cap is removably affixed to saidconical member.